In a move, which is likely to be fiercely opposed, the Indian govt is planning to propose a draft policy, that will not only ask tech companies like WhatsApp, Snapchat, Gmail, and others to store user information but will also dictate, what data should the companies store, in what format and for how long.
The govt is mulling to draft rules for Section 67C of the Information Technology Act, so that the law agencies can access the data, when and how they deem it necessary. The rules will be formulated by a committee headed by additional secretary in the ministry of electronics and IT (MEITY), Ajay Kumar, and one representative each from the ministry of home affairs, department of telecom, department of personnel and training, Nasscom and Internet Service Provider Association of India (ISPAI).
